Even in Death Our Love Goes on
by coyotesabre
Summary: Inuyasha dreams, and realizes he has some things to think about. Inspired from Evanescence lyrics to a few songs given credit along the way, most obviously "Even in Death".
1. Surrender

well this is the first story that i've started on. i'm admitting now that it's not the greatest thing ever, but oh well. i had an idea, i ran with it, which is more than i can generally say. read it, don't read it, it's up to you.  
  
i don't own inuyasha or any of the other characters from said series, i've just come up with interesting situations for said characters. nor do i own any of the evanescence song titles or lyrics used in the names of the chapters, though i envy their owners.  
  
read and review, hope you like. - coyotesabre  
  
(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)  
  
Chapter One: Surrender  
  
"Everyone's asleep already... might as well turn in myself."  
  
The hanyou took one more walk around that night's camp to make sure that things were alright. Sango was asleep near his tree, Miroku over by the dying fire with that grin on his face - one can only wonder why at this hour - Shippo curled up over by Kagome. He stopped looking around when he reached this sight, seeing how Kagome looked in the moonlight. Her raven black hair shone from the light of the moon - almost as if it were glowing - and the way it fell into her face made the shadows fall just right, showing how angelic she really could look; he noticed the way her hand rested softly near her face, not quite underneath it - he felt a sudden urge to lay down next to her and hold that hand for as long as she wouldn't notice, yet pushed those thoughts away as harshly and suddenly as they had appeared.   
  
"What are you thinking? She's the one always telling you to 'sit' all the time. It's a wonder you don't just..."  
  
He let his thoughts trail off and stepped back a bit when he saw her stir in her sleep.   
  
"Good job there, you almost woke her up. Just get in your tree and stay there for the night."  
  
And so, Inuyasha jumped up to a limb near the level where he usually finds himself while relaxing in a tree. He put his hands behind his head, surveying the area from on high for any suspicious movements, his ears twitching listening for any odd noises. Eventually, he allowed himself to close his eyes and relax, not knowing how quickly he would succumb to the temptations of slumber. Before he knew it, he felt himself drifting off. He didn't fight it, knowing that if anything happened or if anyone were coming near their camp he would jolt awake and be ready to defend his friends - to defend Kagome really, as everyone else could fight for themselves.   
  
"Maybe not Shippo, but he generally runs over to Kagome like the baby he is."  
  
With one last sigh, he fell asleep. If only he knew what he was in for upon doing so. 


	2. I Must Be Dreaming

again, I don't own inuyasha or any of the characters, nor do I own any of the evanescence songs used in titles. mur... wishing I did though. I might have money o_o;;.   
  
anyway, here goes the next chapter. hope you like it =). review if you wish, don't if you don't. I'm not making anyone do it if they don't want to. enjoy! - coyotesabre  
  
(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)  
  
Chapter Two: I Must Be Dreaming  
  
Inuyasha lazily started to open his eyes upon feeling some sort of warmth on his face. There was someone there, he could sense it, but it couldn't be... Kikyo? Yes, he was quite sure of it before his eyes fully opened - he would know that scent anywhere.  
  
'But why would she be here? And why, with all of the animosity and hatred between us, is she kissing my neck?'  
  
His eyes were open now, and he looked down into a pair of dark brown eyes, still quite full of live. When he tried to push her off, he found that his hands had been bound together behind his head.  
  
"Kikyo, what sort of torture is this... and what have you done with the others?"  
  
She stopped kissing him and gazed into his amber eyes with a puzzled look on her face.  
  
"What others? I saw you sleeping alone up here in your tree and thought that I might come up to join you. What's wrong, Inuyasha?"  
  
Inuyasha stopped to think about what Kikyo had just told him. Perhaps it had all been one long and elaborate dream. He felt certain that it couldn't have been, but as he looked around he found himself bound in not just any tree, but his favorite tree. A glint of panic in his eyes, he dared looking back at Kikyo. There was certainly life in her eyes, along with so much more. He could sense the arousal in her that it seemed he hadn't sensed in ages.  
  
Starting out rather apprehensively, Inuyasha began to divulge his dream to his lover. He spoke of her shooting him with the arrow, her death soon after, how fifty years later her reincarnation had revived him, the saga of the Shikon Jewel and friends he made along the way... though he didn't dare reveal his feelings for Kagome. That would have been unbearable. When it came to say what became of her, he tried so hard to tell her gently.  
  
"You were reincarnated, the darker part of your soul being all that remained with you. In this form, you wanted nothing but my blood - and I don't mean that you wanted me as your mate. That's why when I woke up, I asked what torture this is... after all that time and all that had happened, I still loved you. For you to do this to me would have tortured my heart."  
  
Kikyo wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his chest. He could tell that she didn't know what to say, at least not at first.  
  
"I noticed that you HAD been sleeping for quite some time. That's why I came here to you. I thought that something might be troubling you, and wanted to make you feel better if I could. You DO want me to make you feel better anyway, right?"  
  
With this, she again started kissing his neck, making her way down his collarbone slowly and painstakingly. As she got further down his chest, Inuyasha felt himself becoming more and more aroused. He wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and claim her as his once again, after what felt like forever to him.  
  
"Kikyo, why don't you let me free so we can go someplace with a bit more room."  
  
It was true, there was very little room up on Inuyasha's branch. If much more were to happen, they would fall for sure. He didn't want his beloved to sustain injury in the throwes of their passion.  
  
"I know just the place. I'll set you free... only if I can re-bound you once we get there," Kikyo said with a devilish grin.  
  
"Deal," he responded. By now, he needed this more than he thought he would. She set him free, and led him to a rather familiar place.  
  
(^_^) (^_^) (^_^)  
  
Kagome awoke suddenly, looking at her surroundings and taking them in. She had dreamt of Inuyasha again and didn't much feel like telling anyone why she was up. Sango stirred as Kirara accidently moved her tail into her face, but she didn't wake. Miroku was actually curled up by the (now dead) fire, as if he were freezing.  
  
"Hm. You'd think his dreams would be enough to keep him rather warm, the lech."  
  
At her side, Shippo was curled up and shivering. Kagome took the little ball of fur and gently placed him inside her sleeping bag.  
  
"Not like you'll do anything to me like Miroku would."  
  
She stole a glance up the tree, seeing Inuyasha peacefully sleeping. His silvery hair shone bright from the light of the moon, on his face was almost a look of pure innocence. His robes were illuminated and almost appeared to actually be fire, though Kagome knew better than that. And the necklace - with that damnable spell - caught glints of light, reminding Kagome of how often she "sits" the hanyou.  
  
"I wish there were some other way, but sometimes he just won't listen. I feel so bad though... I hate being the one to hurt him. I care about him so much, despite when he acts like a jerk. He really is loyal and protective..."  
  
She rather suddenly found herself standing at the foot of the tree, wondering how she got there. She heard him stir above her and dodged out of sight.  
  
Inuyasha silently whispered "Kikyo..." in his slumber, rousing different feelings in Kagome as she bore witness to his plea.  
  
"There's no way he could ever care for me... not like that... not while he still remembers her."  
  
Heartbroken, Kagome slunk back to her sleeping bag and crawled in with Shippo, unwillingly falling asleep again. One last thought crept through her mind as she silently wept herself to sleep:  
  
'At least one guy loves me unconditionally and won't try anything fresh with me like Miroku would. This little kitsune is more loving than Inuyasha could ever be towards me...'  
  
(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)  
  
as a buffer for kikyo's actions in this story, it's meant for her to be out of character. inuyasha's dreaming, which means that it doesn't have to be in line with the story. I had someone read this as a test and they pointed out that she was OOC, so I thought I might say that as a disclaimer for myself. 


	3. I'm Longing to be Lost in You a bit sour

alright, chapter three. keep in mind that it's meant for kikyo to be out of character, as inuyasha is dreaming all of this. i'm not going to say anything more about it, you're just going to have to read if you want to.   
  
this does get just a bit sour, as the title suggests. i don't believe it's at a lemon level, but it's not exactly the most clean thing in the world. review if you wish, don't if you... well... don't?   
  
  
  
no i don't own inuyasha or kikyo or kagome or any of the other characters. if i did, i'd be loaded. as of now, i can't rub two pennies together.  
  
  
  
hope you like =). - coyotesabre  
  
  
  
(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)   
  
  
  
Chapter Three: I'm Longing To Be Lost In You  
  
  
  
Kikyo led Inuyasha to a place where she believed no one would come looking for them - the old well just outside of the village. Inuyasha's mouth dropped as he remembered the girl he had evidently only dreamt of, Kagome. He realized he'd neglected to tell Kikyo how her reincarnation had been able to transend time. However, it didn't matter now. He had Kikyo, and there was nothing he would trade for the time he wished to share with her.  
  
  
  
"Do you like it? I thought it was just far enough from the village for us to be perfectly alone for as long as we wanted."  
  
  
  
Inuyahsa watched as she started lowering her gi from her shoulders, baring even more skin he wished to run his fingers over.  
  
  
  
"It's perfect," he swallowed hard his eyes fixed on Kikyo's bare shoulders, "but you're not planning on going down there are you?"  
  
  
  
Kikyo shook her head and nodded towards the nearby trees, a smirk creeping across her face.  
  
  
  
"So we're going for a romp in the forest?"  
  
"Well, I am. You forget, you are to be bound again. This time shall be even more fun though."  
  
  
  
She took him by his sleeve to one of the trees. After removing the top half of his clothing, she asked Inuyasha to lay down. He immediately obliged, willing as ever. She then bound her love to the tree on his back, hands tied around the trunk. Kikyo then gave him a lingering kiss, and stood over him, looking down upon his half naked body, thinking of all the things she could do to him.  
  
  
  
"Kikyo, what are you doing?"  
  
"Just teasing you for a while. Why, do you have a problem with it?"  
  
  
  
At those words, Kikyo put on her most playful hurt face and shrugged the shoulders of her gi back to their respective places. Inuyasha blinked, rendering what had just happened. He didn't want her to stop, he wanted her to continue, to take him if she wouldn't allow the opposite.  
  
  
  
"Please don't. I don't have a problem at all. I want you, Kikyo."  
  
  
  
The priestess stood over his hips and slowly removed her gi. Her hair fell, perfectly framing her face and chest between the strands that were seemingly placed over each shoulder. She untied her hakama, but didn't let it fall. She began to wonder how long she could get away with teasing him this way and lay down beside him, tracing his muscles with one soft fingertip.  
  
  
  
Inuyasha felt the urge to warp his arms around his love, but then remembered his restraints as he tried. He felt Kikyo untying his pands, looking up to see her half nude form next to him. He was now more aroused than ever, feeling a soft hand on his chest and another at the ties of his pants. Kikyo was now on top of him, her lips meeting his, their tongues intertwining as she reached a hand down his pants. She pulled away with a sly grin, a look of mischif in her eyes.  
  
  
  
"Kikyo..."  
  
  
  
She sat up, tugging his pants away, then putting her hakama with them and his haori. Straddling her beloved, she elaned back down to kiss him again on the lips, then moved on to his cheek. Bringing a hand up to rub one of his ears, she began kissing and playfully nipping at his neck. Upon touching his ear, she felt his muscles relax and swore she heard purring.  
  
  
  
'How much longer can this woman torture me?'  
  
  
  
Kikyo made her way to his collarbone and, as if reading his thoughts, removed the hand from Inuyasha's ear to reach around and untie him, coming back up to find his lips again.  
  
  
  
'Finally.'  
  
  
  
Quickly, Inuyasha rolled them over to where he had easier access to Kikyo, never breaking their kiss. He brought a hand to her breasts, gently stroking the inside of ehr thigh with the other. He heard her gasp, followed by a giggle.  
  
  
  
'She must be ticklish there.'  
  
  
  
Inuyasha commenced to caressing Kikyo's breasts as he began stroking her down below. She moaned upon the pleasure she was recieving, and Inuyasha gave her a grin before kissing her neck in return for the times she had done so.  
  
  
  
"Inuyasha..."  
  
"Are you ready?"  
  
  
  
Kikyo gave him a nod and a small smile. Upon feeling himself enter her, Inuyasha moaned along with Kikyo. He ha dbeen waiting so long for this moment. As he began their rhythm, he kissed and licked her neck. He felt her nails scraping up and down his bare back and the feelings produced by it were indescribable. He felt her release, yet before his own he bit down on her neck, drawing blood. He heard her whimper and quickly began licking the wound he had created, lapping up her blood with the skill of a demon. He felt his own release, and soon lay down beside his mate. Inuyasha looked up at the night sky, one arm underneath his lover.  
  
  
  
"I love you, nothing will ever change that feeling," he said, closing his eyes.  
  
  
  
Finally, he had said it.  
  
  
  
"I love you too, Inuyasha."  
  
  
  
He opened his eyes suddenly - Kikyo's voice sounded different than it ever had. Inuyasha turned to her, only to see Kagome staring back at him. 


	4. You Can't Just Leave Me

i really don't have anything to say for this one... read if you like, comment if you wish, whatever.  
  
no, i don't own inuyasha or other charasters involved. if i did, i wouldn't be writing it here would i?  
  
hope you enjoy! - coyotesabre  
  
Chapter Four: You Can't Just Leave Me  
  
Kagome woke again from her (now) forced slumber. This time, she saw the sun coming up and decided to stay awake. All around her, she found her friends still sleeping. Shippo had at some point made his way underneath one of her arms, which she didn't really mind.  
  
'I hope he'll be warm enough without me.'  
  
Stretching, Kagome sat up, though careful not to disturb the kitsune. Hearing a few leaves brushing each other above her, she looked up at Inuyasha. He seemed troubled, though he always seemed to look that way while he was sleeping. Thinking nothing of it, Kagome decided she would go take a bath while everyone else lay sleeping. Grabbing her clothes, soap, shampoo, and towel, she started soundlessly making her way to the river.  
  
'At least I shouldn't have to worry about Miroku this time.'  
  
Her clothes hidden in a bush (in case of monkeys), Kagome waded out into the water. She walked out until water reached the base of her neck, getting the ends of her hair damp. As she dipped her head under in preparation to wash her hair, she started thinking of the current situation between herself and Inuyasha.  
  
'He's so intent on protecting me. Surely that's got to mean something... probably that I'm simply his friend, and one of the women. I've seen him protect Sango a couple of times, though she's quite capable on her own... he only goes when she really needs it. There's times where he has this look in his eyes when I swear he wants to say something more, then when he's a real jerk. Though he's usually only a jerk right after I see that look... I just don't know what to think.'  
  
As she dipped under to rinse off her hair, Kagome swore she heard her name someplace. Leaving it to be an illusion, she began washing the rest of her body.  
  
"KAGOME!!"  
  
This time she was positive she heard her name, and knew who said it. She quickly rinsed off, got out, dried, and dressed, rushing back to their camp. When she got there, she found a distraught Inuyasha waiting for her.  
  
(^_^) (^_^) (^_^)  
  
Inuyasha awoke, surprised to be in a tree and not on the ground... alone no less. The last things he remembered were being with Kikyo... then seeing Kagome. Looking around, he saw Sango near the base of the tree, Miroku over by the ashes of the previous night's fire, and Shippo with Kag-...  
  
'Where the hell is Kagome?'  
  
"KAGOME!!"  
  
Sango sat straight up, alertly looking around and preparing herself for a battle. Miroku sat his head up for a few seconds, took in the situation, and then passed out again. Kirara had transformed and acquired an attachment on her tail that looked very much like a petrified Shippo.  
  
"Inuyasha, what happened? Where's Kagome?"  
  
"I.don't.know. That's what I'm trying to find out. KAGOME!!"  
  
Leaping from the tree and landing gracefully on the ground below, Inuyasha saw that her towel and bath things weren't there. Upon seeing this, his face changed from that of being angry and worried to stupefied, to say the very least. Feeling his pride slowly fall away as Sango, Miroku (who woke with a start to the last shout and gave up on sleep), Kirara, and Shippo awaited an answer from him, Inuyasha twisted the matter around to suit himself.  
  
"..that woman left to bathe without telling any of us. She could get KILLED out there on her own, and she doesn't give a rat's ass!"  
  
Sango and Miroku exchanged knowing looks and walked away, Kirara following with Shippo dragged behind. They weren't going to get in the middle of one of these fights.  
  
"Where the hell do you think YOU'RE going?!"  
  
"We're getting breakfast together... away from here. You and Kagome obviously have some talking to do, and I'd like to be alone with Sango for a wh-..."  
  
::THWACK::  
  
::thud::  
  
And with that, Inuyasha was left pacing back and forth in front of the tree, waiting for Kagome to get back. Surely she'd heard him yelling for her, so any moment now she would appear from the trees.  
  
'But what are you going to tell her, baka? You let yourself get out of control over a dream, but you didn't really know why. Obviously, she means something more than you want to believe... but how do you go about telling her that? Are you going to just try and hide everything again and go off, saying she should have waited to go take a bath... or are you actually going to tell her how you feel? How much longer can you keep this inside, anyway?'  
  
All thought processes stopped when he saw her break through the trees with a towel haphazardly around her neck, clothes and bathing supplies in her arms, wet hair flying around her face... panic in her eyes. Kagome was running over to her bag to drop off the load in her arms in the cautious silence between them.  
  
'You panicked her, you big dope. Is that any way to treat someone you love?'  
  
"What's wrong, Inuyasha?"  
  
Taking one look at her, taking in the scent of her shampoo as well, he knew what he had to do.  
  
(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)  
  
i am a heinous bitch, no? 


	5. I Knew You Loved Me Then

i know, it took a while for me to update again. i've been trying to get this to sound right, and i still don't think that it's quite there. but, i thought i should post what i have for now so as not to keep some of you wondering what's going to happen =). giving the heinous bitch side of me a bit of a rest for the most part, so you might not be quite as upset with where i left the chapter this time. this is a plus for me. though, i'm really wishing that i could make .html documents and such... i hate how the spacing ends up on here and how i can't italicize thoughts -_-;;. for a better version, i suggest checking out http://my-will.diaryland.com since i can get the stuff right in there.  
  
read as ye will, comment as ye wish. and thanks to those who have commented so far, it's much appreciated.   
  
- coyotesabre  
  
disclaimer: i don't own the inu. wish i did though, and i wouldn't mind having one of my own.  
  
Chapter Five: I Knew You Loved Me Then  
  
"Inuyasha..?"  
  
Kagome stood facing him, looking rather concerned and was tempted to walk closer to him, though didn't know what reaction the hanyou might have to her. He appeared to be having an internal debate, though Kagome could think of no reason why he would so early in the morning. She wished to be able to help him, whatever it was.  
  
'I wish he would just open his mouth already.'  
  
"Kagome, I..."  
  
'This isn't going to be as easy as I thought.'  
  
Inuyasha started walking closer to Kagome, a look in his eyes she had never seen before. They were shiny, almost glittering, but his face appeared as though he had lost something precious to him. His walk more a slow trudge, though he kept eye contact with the miko. He couldn't look away, not now, not with all that he needed to tell her. He saw worry and a bit of fear in the eyes of his companion, wishing there was a simpler way to go about all of this, instead of mentally beating around the bush.  
  
"I... um... I..."  
  
Gazing into his amber eyes, Kagome could see that this - whatever 'this' happened to be - was hard for him. She reached out, taking his hand into her own.  
  
"It's alright, Inuyasha. Just say what you've got to say. It can't be that bad."  
  
'Oh, if she knew...'  
  
The look in his eyes changed to frustration as he pulled his hand away from Kagome's.  
  
'What the hell is going on with him?'  
  
'What the hell is going on with me? Why can't I just say this to her and get it over with?'  
  
Taking a deep breath, Inuyasha prepared to say what he'd needed to say for quite some time now. He wasn't sure if it was the dream talking, or if it was what he had really wanted to say, but he finally got it out to Kagome.  
  
"Kagome you shouldn't have gone off on your own like that. You could have been hurt or killed and I... erm... we wouldn't have been able to save you!"  
  
"It's not like I was gone long or that I really went all that far! You KNOW you would have been able to hear me from here if I screamed, especially with YOUR hearing!"  
  
Kagome turned to run away, but stopped when Inuyasha said something to peak her interest.  
  
"Kagome wait, I... I love you."  
  
'Great, smooth... baka.'  
  
"..::blink::"  
  
"There, I said it. I love you, Kagome. I don't want anything to happen to you."  
  
"..Where is this suddenly coming from?"  
  
"I had a dream... and... I still don't know what to make of it... but it's not all that sudden in the first place."  
  
"What happened in this dream?"  
  
Kagome listened as he told her everything that happened in his dream. She was at first shocked to hear that it was about Kikyo, softening upon hearing the ending. And then came the realization. 'But it's not all that sudden' stuck in her mind as she remembered what she had been thinking about while bathing before she heard Inuyasha call for her. All of the awkward situations, the talks they had when they were alone, the look he would get in his eyes. It all finally came together in her mind.  
  
Long after Inuyasha had finished telling Kagome about his dream, they stood gazing at each other for an uncomfortably long time. Kagome gave a soft smile, while Inuyasha continued simply looking at her.  
  
'I wonder what she's thinking about now.'  
  
'I wonder if he knows... I should really say it to him now. Hell, now I know how HE felt when he was preparing to tell me.'  
  
Kagome stepped closer to him, and he took her hands into his own. They stood looking into each other's eyes, almost able to see the thoughts and emotions running through them. Fear, excitement, happiness, contemplation, others that remained nameless. Both could see love present in the glistens produced by the early morning's light.  
  
"I love you too, I just never knew how to tell you."  
  
Inuyasha allowed himself to smile, a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. Upon this relatively rare sign of warmth, Kagome took her hands back from his, then flung her arms around a somewhat shocked Inuyasha. He hugged her back, feeling comfort with her finally in his arms, as his ears began twitching. The embrace was broken off rather quickly as the hanyou became weary of the bushes nearby.  
  
"Who's out there?!"  
  
One hand on the Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha charged at the bush upon hearing voices. As he went to unsheathe the sword, he saw a fox perched upon the shoulders of a monk, a demon slayer crouched down next to them.   
  
"HOW LONG HAVE YOU THREE BEEN THERE?!"  
  
The friends looked amongst themselves with smiles creeping across their faces, Miroku being brave (or stupid) enough to answer first.  
  
"Oh, long enough. Wouldn't you say, Sango?"  
  
"Yes, yes. We've been here long enough."  
  
Shippo, all the time looking back and forth between whoever was talking at the time, forgot to think before speaking yet again.  
  
"Does this mean that you two are 'going out,' whatever that means??"  
  
"...SHIPPO!"  
  
And with that, the hanyou chased the fox into the woods, leaving a laughing Sango and Miroku behind.  
  
Kagome watched as her love ran after Shippo.  
  
'What exactly DOES this mean? We didn't exactly have a chance to talk about this...'  
  
Sango looked over to Kagome while catching her breath from laughing seeing how lost her friend appeared to be. Her eyes were glossed over, and she still had an arm reaching out from hugging Inuyasha.  
  
'Looks like I need to go snap her out of it.'  
  
"Kagome! Time for some girl talk!"  
  
Kagome felt her arm being pulled and subconsciously followed where it went. She could have been lead to her death and wouldn't have known it now. Being lost in deep thought isn't a usual thing for her and when she is, she's pretty hard to get to. She felt herself stop moving and looked around, seeing nothing but trees, a rock, and Sango. Sitting on the rock, she turned to her friend.  
  
"What does this mean? What's going to happen now?" 


	6. This Truth Drives Me into Madness

i'm sorry that it's taken so long to update again. there was a dance a bit ago that a friend and i had to basically plan for on our own and all drama that went along with doing that, homework that had been to long neglected because of the dance, solos that i need to work on and perfect in the next month for regionals, good times to be had with friends and a fellow writer/sister [elbe]. i promise i won't let it go that long again!  
  
a thank you goes out to all friends who helped to come up with synonyms for a certain sentance in this chapter. i owe you guys majorly.  
  
read as ye will, review as ye wish =)  
  
-coyotesabre  
  
again, i don't own inuyasha. though i wish i did, for the sake of my finances.  
  
Chapter Six: This Truth Drives Me into Madness  
  
"So Inuaysha, what are you going to do now?"  
  
A hanyou that was still rather dazed turned to Miroku, the fox hanging from its tail by the hanyou's clawed fingers at an arm's length. The gears of his head could almost be heard cranking as he tried to formulate a response to his companion's query. Feeling Shippo attempting to swat at him, Inuyasha released him and let him fall to the ground. Miroku held him by the back of his vest when he went to charge at Inuyasha, clearly seeing how confused the half demon really was. After pointing Shippo toward the lake and telling him to go 'play or something,' Miroku walked over to Inuyasha, prepared to have one of those 'manly talks'.  
  
"You love her, yes?"  
  
Inuyasha blinked at him, taking in what was said before he slowly answered.  
  
"..Yeah, I guess I do."  
  
"And you just told her this?"  
  
"Yeah... where are you going with this, monk?"  
  
"Just taking in all of the information, seeing what I am capable of telling you at this point."  
  
"Great, the hentai doesn't even know what to say."  
  
(^_^) (^_^) (^_^)  
  
The older girl looked back at Kagome, trying to come up with an answer to her question. She thought of a time when Miroku took her aside in private and revealed his feelings for her. Upon remembering, she tried her hand at finding a way to counsel Kagome.  
  
"Well, it's sort of up to both of you. You need to talk some more, or at least lay out your intentions to each other. It is the start to a horrible relationship if you can't communicate what each of you would like to come of it. I can see from the way you have been acting toward Inuyasha for quite some time that you'd like more than just to be able to make a claim of him being your boyfriend or something petty like that. You're likely looking for a more serious relationship with him, and from what I have seen from him, he's looking for the same from you."  
  
"..::blink::"  
  
"..And this is a lot for you to take in all at once, yes?"  
  
Kagome turned away from her friend to try to set things straight in her mind. Yes, Sango was right, Kagome wanted an actual relationship with Inuyasha. The extent of this relationship, however, she wasn't quite sure of yet. She surely wasn't thinking of anything beyond her modern era's idea of marriage, but the other extreme of simply tagging each other as their own wasn't what she wanted either.   
  
That's right, there was still the bridge of time to cross. She'd almost forgotten the time gap between the two of them. Traditions and customs were different in each of their times.  
  
'What if the things he said are as good as marriage for this time and his kind? Oh Kami, I bet it is. Wait though, didn't Sango just say it's up to us? So it's probably not... but she doesn't know about hanyou and youkai traditions. What am I saying, she's a demon slayer! She would know all about it! And Inuyasha wasn't brought up by demons anyway, he probably doesn't even know the rites and rituals and everything that they have. Well he might know of them, but he probably doesn't practice them...'  
  
Sango's look of concern cut off her thoughts when Kagome unconsciously had turned back to her mid-thought. She smiled at her friend with a look of forced confidence, and tried to think of what to say after all of that thinking, but was cut off yet again.  
  
"What are you thinking about?"  
  
"This. All of this. What it might mean, what might happen if this happens, what might happen if that happens... I don't want to slow down our journey if I can help it."  
  
That, too, had made its way into Kagome's mind. If anything were to happen between Inuyasha and herself and they got any more emotionally involved, it could hinder their journey.  
  
'But Sango and Miroku seem to keep it subtle. Why couldn't we do that too? ..Oh yeah, this IS Inuyasha we're dealing with. An inkling of Kouga being anywhere nearby and he'll be ready, likely resorting to calling me his woman the way that Kouga does. That's all we need is a fight between them. Then what if our enemies realize it? They could use that to their adva-.. they've used it to their advantage in the past. Right.'  
  
(^_^) (^_^) (^_^)  
  
"You're going to have to talk with her, Inuyasha. It's the only way to really figure all of this out."  
  
"I just talked with her! Isn't that enough?!"  
  
"No, not if you want to really know what there is and what there might be between the two of you."  
  
"Feh."  
  
In one graceful movement Inuyasha dashed away, jumping into the nearest tree and racing from limb to limb until he was far away from Miroku and his ideas. He needed to think on his own for a while, to figure out exactly what he wanted and what he was going to do about this.  
  
'Why do I have to be the one to do something? Why can't she make a move first? Oh, right, chivalry. Feh.'  
  
He looked to the sky, seeing the sun settling itself to a spot where it seemed to be shining on him alone.  
  
'Am I even sure that's what that dream meant? No, I'm not. And not even six hours after I wake up I'm sitting up here trying to figure out how I feel for Kagome. I love her. I would do anything for her. How many different times and ways do I have to prove this?!'  
  
He slunk down a bit, leaning against the tree's trunk, and looked lazily into the opposite direction of the sun. Resting his hands behind his head, he closed his eyes and went back to thinking.  
  
'But I still feel for Kikyo. I'm not sure WHAT I feel for Kikyo, but I know I feel for her. That could easily get into the way later on... even now. No, idiot, wake up. Kikyo doesn't even like you anymore, let alone love you. It's like you said in that dream, she wants nothing more than your blood spilled, her name the one attached to the cause. She's nothing but dirt and bone that's been filled with hatred. But Kagome is the keeper of her soul. Kagome has her soul. Do I love Kagome for who she is, or for Kikyo's soul? I don't know anymore... but I want to be with Kagome. I can see us together for - well, who knows how long?'  
  
(^_^) (^_^) (^_^)  
  
Miroku had gathered Shippo from over by the lake and was heading back to camp. He saw Sango and Kagome coming back as well, a question present in the miko's eyes upon his return with a depressed looking fox, but without a hanyou.  
  
"He ran off on his own while we were tal- well, while I was talking to him. I'm not sure what he's up to or when he'll be back, so we should just stay around here until he returns, I suppose."  
  
Kagome, somewhat defeated, walked back over to her sleeping bag and began to roll it back up in preparation to leave again once he returned. Shippo appeared at her feet, pulling on her sock. His eyes were solemn, looking as though he could cry at any moment.  
  
"Kagome, what's wrong?"  
  
She looked down at him, straightening againa nd smiling a smile that most could identify as fake. If Shippo were a bit older, he would certainly have known that it was forced and not sincere. Though yet again, his innocence protected him.  
  
"Nothing Shippo, whatever made you ask that?"  
  
"You look unhappy, and Inuyasha went off on his own again. I heard he and Miroku talking, and he seemed really confused and unhappy too."  
  
With that, Shippo looked down at his feet and kicked a small pebble. No one ever really payed him any mind, why should this time be any different?  
  
"Why are you kicking that pebble?"  
  
'This is Kagome. She listens to you all the time. Just talk to her, she loves you..' "Because... I'm unhappy too."  
  
"Why's that, Shippo?"  
  
"Because when I asked if you were 'going out', both of you got all sad."  
  
"Aw, Shippo, it's not your fault. Really, we would have done this anyway."  
  
The child's face lit up upon hearing these words, and he looked up at Kagome with a smile.  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"I promise, Shippo. It was going to happen anyway.. you just happened to be there when it did. That's all."  
  
Kagome scooped him up and gave him a hug, soon after allowing him to perch himself on her shoulder while she gathered her things. She smiled, realizing how much he seemed to be like her little brother or even a son to her at times like these - or any time, for that matter.  
  
When Shippo tensed and darted off of Kagome's shoulder, she jolted and looked at what had started him. She saw Inuyasha walking towards her, something hanging from his hand. It wasn't large, it was actually rather small. She cocked her head to one side in an attempt to see what it was when Sango walked behind her.  
  
"Go to him."  
  
She realized that he wasn't walking any longer, that he was standing there staring at her, his eyes fixed into hers. She had gotten lost again, staring into those beautiful amber wells that she seemed to forever be falling into, leading her deep into the depths of his soul. Once she snapped out of it, she walked over to him and met him where he was. When they spoke, neither noticed how quiet they kept their voices. They were subconsciously trying not to be heard by the others, trying to pull themselves into their own little world for a few minutes.  
  
"I brought this back for you."  
  
He handed her a small flower. What it didn't have it size, it made up for in color and beauty. Its colors seemed to have been arranged perfectly, and she held it up to her nose to smell the sweetest smell she'd ever come across. She smiled, and noticed his breathing become more normal as she did. Had he been holding his breath for that moment?  
  
"Thank you, Inuyasha. It's perfect."  
  
Unknowingly, they reached for each other's hand. After she said that, she noticed her eyes close, her lips coming together, her body moving slightly closer to his. Before she knew what she was doing, she was on her toes giving Inuyasha a quick kiss that seemed to last forever. As unknowingly as the kiss had happened, Inuyasha took her into his arms and whispered four words into her ear.  
  
"We need to talk."  
  
(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)  
  
really, i tried to not make it a cliff hanger this time... it just came out this way no matter what i did to it. couldn't really make it sound any better. promise to have an update a hell of a lot sooner than when i had this one though! 


	7. Which of Us Do You Love?

sorry it's taken so long for an update... had to do that dance stuff and now there's the whole senior-at-the-end-of-the-year crap. i'm really trying though, for what that matters. writing this as we speak, so here's hopin' that i don't make another cliffy and irritate people again =). though this may be shorter than you all would have liked... since i started this, i've qualified for the state choir competition, so that's kind of been added to the list of too much as well.  
  
nimerin: thanks for your review(s). i'm pretty much a night person myself, they just don't have the option of taking high school classes that late... at least not around here -_-;;. six in the morning is too early for ANY teenager, let alone a seventeen-almost-eighteen year old one. but, here's your update... finally =).  
  
elbe: haha, i'm ahead of you, by far. and that evanescence story might come about as well. i know about time constrictions and whatnot, but i just felt the need to say this. love ya anyway though ^_^;;.  
  
Chapter Seven: Which of us Do You Love?  
  
Kagone heard these words and her relaxation was taken away a little. She felt sweat forming on her face, yet smiled it all off and walked with Inuyasha away from everyone - hopefully. As they made their way near the waterfall, they checked behind them often to make sure that they didn't have any unwanted listeners this time. Once there, and upon seeing that the coast was clear, Inuyasha started.  
  
"Now that they're gone, what was that kiss about?!"  
  
"I don't know, it just happened! I felt myself move into it, but I don't remember telling myself to do so... or telling myself not to do so..."  
  
"So you're telling me that you had some sort of out of body experience that made you kiss me?"  
  
"I guess, though it might not have been entirely out of body..."  
  
Inuyasha stopped the pacing that he had started in an out of body experience of his own. He looked at his feet as if to scold them, and sat down next to Kagome. He consciously put an arm around her, though was cautious in doing so as he didn't want to be 'sat'. She leaned into him and continued on.  
  
"What are we?"  
  
"I'm a hanyou and you're a hu-"  
  
"You know what I mean, Inuyasha."  
  
'I knew he was going to be difficult, but sheesh! Maybe he doesn't know about dating terms, or maybe there are different ones in his time. I suppose now would be as good a time as any to find out.'  
  
Kagome moved from him and looked into his amber eyes and internally swooned. That would never get old for her. She knew what she wanted to say, she just didn't know how to say it to him. In the meantime, Inuyasha looked at her, trying to figure out exactly what she might have meant.  
  
'She's wrong, I have no idea what she's talking about. I just wanted to talk to her about being my mate... if she would. I don't know what to think right now... c'mon Inuyasha, you can do this. break the silen-'  
  
"Inuyasha, do you know what 'dating' is?"  
  
"..No, I don't. But Kagome, I wanted to ask you something."  
  
"What is it, Inuyasha?"  
  
Standing, Inuyasha backed away from Kagome a little bit. He still wasn't sure what to say to her, or how to even bring it up. If only they had known how confused each of them were.  
  
"Kagome I... um... dammit!"  
  
She watched him start pacing again, fighting with himself out loud. Randomly she heard him call himself an idiot and say "Just say it already!", wondering what could be so hard for him to get out. It's not as if they hadn't been through a lot together, and to be honest they were basically going out by modern standards. Only, he didn't know that.   
  
"KagomeIwantedtoaskifyouwanttobemymate. There, I said it. Hah."  
  
"..What?"  
  
"..And that's how I thought you'd react."  
  
He went to run away, but Kagome quickly stood up and rested a hand on his shoulder. She felt a tension she hadn't really felt before when she'd gone to do that in the past. Sure, he'd been plenty tense when she'd gone to hold him back from attacking Kouga or after a battle, but not randomly like this. Though seconds later, she felt him relax totally. All thoughts of running away ceased, and he turned around to face her again.  
  
a/n: and that's about all that i can come up with... hell, i wrote this a few weeks ago, actually. i've had a whole lot going on, and right now isn't the best time to be writing this. that and the fact that i haven't been able to watch inuyasha and really get into characters for... a long time now. gasp worthy, no? i've had a bit too much to think about aside from this. when i started it was merely this and school work, but now there's graduation and college and finding a job and spending time with friends who will be leaving and... yeah. sorry it's taken so long to get even this much. 


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